Ethyl Acetate As Fuel Or Fuel Additive

ABSTRACT

A fuel blend consisting of a hydrocarbon-containing fuel component; and ethyl acetate is provided. The hydrocarbon-containing fuel component may be gasoline, diesel, bioethanol or biodiesel.

BACKGROUND

Ethyl Acetate has considerable potential as an oxygenated fuel additive.The molecule has four carbons and excellent fuel properties. Ethylacetate can be readily produced from “Renewable” resources by severalprocesses. Ethyl acetate has low toxicity, a pleasant odor, and is nothygroscopic, as is ethanol.

In the realm of alternative or renewable hydrocarbon fuels, or fueladditives, two stand out as the current state of the art recognized fuelblending additives. Ethanol is the recognized fuel blend additive forpetroleum gasoline, and biodiesel (blends of methyl esters) is therecognized fuel blend additive for petroleum diesel motor fuel.

Recent efforts in the field of new fuel substitutes or fuel additiveshave focused upon butanol or “bio-butanol” as a desired new four carbonoxygenated fuel component. It was discovered, by the inventor that EthylAcetate also has four carbons, and is a double oxygenated compound(having two oxygen atoms within the formula), and has desirable fuelcharacteristics.

One of the recognized drawbacks of ethanol as a petroleum gasoline blendadditive is its hygroscopic nature, or desire to attract water. This hasbeen a reported problem with ethanol for two major reasons.

First, where ethanol blends are used for marine motor applications, suchas fishing boats or pleasure craft, boat owners have reported issueswith “wet” fuel due to the ethanol blend attracting water from thenaturally moist environs of marine craft. These “wet” fuels have causedmotor starting difficulties, sudden motor stops, and corroding of motorparts requiring extra and more frequent maintenance.

Second, the tendency for ethanol to become “wet” due to its hygroscopicnature, has been the reason that ethanol blend stock is NOT transportedthrough the normal fuel pipeline system. The wet ethanol causesexcessive corrosion of the fuel pipelines causing maintenance due todeterioration and contamination of petroleum fuels by transportedthrough the same pipeline, from the corrosion products of the pipelinewith wet ethanol. Ethanol would require a stainless steel (more costlypipeline) and a completely separate pipeline system (which is costprohibitive).

SUMMARY

The present invention is a fuel blend consisting of ahydrocarbon-containing fuel component; and ethyl acetate. Thehydrocarbon-containing fuel component may be selected from the groupconsisting of gasoline, diesel, bioethanol and biodiesel.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention declared here is the use of Ethyl Acetate as a fuel, orfuel additive for motors burning conventional petroleum gasoline orgasoline blends, and also the use of Ethyl Acetate as a blending agentfor Biodiesel fuels or as a blending agent to lower the cloud point ofBiodiesel blending stock.

Ethyl Acetate appears to avoid the problems of ethanol's hygroscopicnature, while still being a desirable fuel, or fuel additive. Ethylacetate, is described by the formula CH₃COOCH₂CH₃. Ethyl acetate is alsoknown as ethyl ethanoate, ethyl ester, acetic ester, and ester ofethanol.

Ethyl acetate is in frequent use as a solvent, used in paint systems andfor cleaning purposes. It is even used in some brands of finger nailpolish remover. It has a pleasant sweet odor. It is normally a liquid atnormal ambient temperatures with a boiling point of 171 degreesFahrenheit.

It has a low flash point, at negative 4 degrees Centigrade (or 25degrees Fahrenheit), which makes it easy to ignite. Its freezing pointis negative 118 degrees Fahrenheit which makes it an acceptable fueladditive for winter conditions. The heat of combustion of ethyl acetateis higher than for ethanol, and likely makes up some of the differencein combustion energy lost by mixtures of ethanol in gasoline.

Ethyl Acetate is known to be relatively non-toxic. It has even been usedas a solvent to decaffeinate coffee beans. Compared to ethanol it isrecognized generally to be “non-hygroscopic” in nature, allowing verylimited water to mix in with the compound. This latter characteristic isimportant.

Ethyl acetate can be produced by any of several process methods.

1. Ethyl Acetate can be formed by the acid catalyzed esterification ofacetic acid with ethanol.

2. Ethyl Acetate can be formed by the direct dehydrogenation of ethanolover a copper catalyst at elevated temperatures, producing hydrogen as aby-product.

3. Ethyl Acetate has been reported to be formed by the directesterification or interesterification of acetic acid, where the aceticacid was produced from a biomass fermentation process.

Ethyl acetate when produced by one such process from biomass was theintermediate product that was then hydrogenated to ethanol as the finalfuel additive product. It would appear that ethyl acetate in this typeprocess would be cheaper than the ethanol produced from the sameprocess.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a fuel blend is provided,consisting of: a hydrocarbon-containing fuel component; and ethylacetate. The hydrocarbon-containing fuel component may be gasoline ordiesel. The hydrocarbon-containing fuel component may also be petroleumgas, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, or propane. Thehydrocarbon-containing fuel component may also be bioethanol orbiodiesel.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the ethyl acetate may beadded to mixtures of diesel fuel and biodiesel to reduce the cloud pointto improve winter operation performance of said mixtures. The ethylacetate may be added to biodiesel and mixtures of biodiesel to reducethe cloud point to improve winter operation and performance of saidbiodiesel or mixtures thereof. The ethyl acetate may be added to dieselfuel, or mixtures of biodiesel and diesel fuel, or directly to biodieselor mixtures of biodiesel to adjust the viscosity of said fuel mixtures.

In various embodiments of the present invention, the fuel blends may beused for

over the road diesel motor transport vehicles,

private or commercial diesel passenger vehicles,

marine diesel engines,

diesel-electric train engines,

a marine application (such as jet skis, outboard motors and inboardmotors),

a recreational application (such as snowmobiles, mopeds, andmotorcycles)

a residential application (such as lawnmowers, string trimmers, andchain saws),

diesel powered construction equipment, or

portable or stationary diesel powered electric generators.

In another embodiment, the hydrocarbon-containing fuel component may begasoline, diesel, petroleum gas, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas,propane, bioethanol or biodiesel, or any combination thereof.

In another embodiment, the fuel blend may comprise least 5% ethylacetate by volume. The fuel blend may comprise at least 8% ethyl acetateby volume. The fuel blend may comprise at least 10% ethyl acetate byvolume.

In another embodiment, the ethyl acetate may be a biomass intermediateproduct in the ethanol production process. The ethyl acetate may beformed by the acid catalyzed esterification of acetic acid with ethanol.The ethyl acetate may be formed by the direct esterification of aceticacid. The ethyl acetate may be formed by the inter-esterification ofacetic acid. The ethyl acetate may be formed by the dehydrogenation ofethanol.

1. A fuel blend consisting of: a hydrocarbon-containing fuel component;and ethyl acetate.
 2. The fuel blend of claim 1, wherein saidhydrocarbon-containing fuel component is selected from the groupconsisting of gasoline and diesel.
 3. The fuel blend of claim 1, whereinsaid hydrocarbon-containing fuel component is selected from the groupconsisting of petroleum gas, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, andpropane.
 4. The fuel blend of claim 1, wherein saidhydrocarbon-containing fuel component is selected from the groupconsisting of bioethanol and biodiesel.
 5. The fuel blend of claim 4wherein ethyl acetate is added to mixtures of diesel fuel and biodieselto reduce the cloud point to improve winter operation performance ofsaid mixtures.
 6. The fuel blend of claim 4 wherein ethyl acetate isadded to biodiesel and mixtures of biodiesel to reduce the cloud pointto improve winter operation and performance of said biodiesel ormixtures thereof.
 7. The fuel blend of claim 4 wherein ethyl acetate isadded to diesel fuel, or mixtures of biodiesel and diesel fuel, ordirectly to biodiesel or mixtures of biodiesel to adjust the viscosityof said fuel mixtures.
 8. The fuel blends of claim 5 wherein theapplication is for over the road diesel motor transport vehicles.
 9. Thefuel blends of claim 6 wherein the application is for over the roaddiesel motor transport vehicles.
 10. The fuel blends of claim 7 whereinthe application is for over the road diesel motor transport vehicles.11. The fuel blends of claim 5 wherein the application is for private orcommercial diesel passenger vehicles.
 12. The fuel blends of claim 6wherein the application is for private or commercial diesel passengervehicles.
 13. The fuel blends of claim 7 wherein the application is forprivate or commercial diesel passenger vehicles.
 14. The fuel blends ofclaim 5 wherein the application is for marine diesel engines.
 15. Thefuel blends of claim 6 wherein the application is for marine dieselengines.
 16. The fuel blends of claim 7 wherein the application is formarine diesel engines.
 17. The fuel blends of claim 5 wherein theapplication is for diesel-electric train engines.
 18. The fuel blends ofclaim 6 wherein the application is for diesel-electric train engines.19. The fuel blends of claim 7 wherein the application is fordiesel-electric train engines.
 20. The fuel blends of claim 5 whereinthe application is for diesel powered construction equipment.
 21. Thefuel blends of claim 6 wherein the application is for diesel poweredconstruction equipment.
 22. The fuel blends of claim 7 wherein theapplication is for diesel powered construction equipment.
 23. The fuelblends of claim 5 wherein the application is for portable or stationarydiesel powered electric generators.
 24. The fuel blends of claim 6wherein the application is for portable or stationary diesel poweredelectric generators.
 25. The fuel blends of claim 7 wherein theapplication is for portable or stationary diesel powered electricgenerators.
 26. The fuel blend of claim 1, wherein saidhydrocarbon-containing fuel component is selected from the groupconsisting of gasoline, diesel, petroleum gas, natural gas, liquefiedpetroleum gas, propane, bioethanol and biodiesel, or any combinationthereof.
 27. The fuel blend of claim 1, wherein said fuel blendcomprises at least 5% ethyl acetate by volume.
 28. The fuel blend ofclaim 1, wherein said fuel blend comprises at least 10% ethyl acetate byvolume.
 29. The fuel blend of claim 1, wherein said fuel blend is usedin a marine application.
 30. The fuel blend of claim 29, wherein saidmarine application is selected from the group consisting of jet skis,outboard motors and inboard motors.
 31. The fuel blend of claim 1,wherein said fuel blend is used in a recreational application.
 32. Thefuel blend of claim 31, wherein said recreational application isselected from the group consisting of snowmobiles, mopeds, andmotorcycles.
 33. The fuel blend of claim 1, wherein said fuel blend isused in a residential application.
 34. The fuel blend of claim 33,wherein said residential application is selected from the groupconsisting of lawnmowers, string trimmers, and chain saws.
 35. The fuelblend of claim 1, wherein said ethyl acetate is a biomass intermediateproduct in the ethanol production process.
 36. The fuel blend of claim35, wherein said ethyl acetate is formed by the acid catalyzedesterification of acetic acid with ethanol.
 37. The fuel blend of claim35, wherein said ethyl acetate is formed by the direct esterification ofacetic acid.
 38. The fuel blend of claim 35, wherein said ethyl acetateis formed by the inter-esterification of acetic acid.
 39. The fuel blendof claim 35 wherein said ethyl acetate is formed by the dehydrogenationof ethanol.